Momberger

The Central District Planning & Building Committee has authorized Tel Aviv Airport to build cargo terminals and a parking lot for aircraft in the airport’s northern section – its last remaining land reserves for development. But part of this land is near the Beit Arif and Yehud streams, which run high during the winter rains. And the National Planning and Building Council authorized the Netivei Israel road company to build a new road running north of the airport that would link two nearby interchanges in the west and in the east. This road would allow easy access to the area where the cargo terminals will be built, as well as serving the thousands of new homes that are slated to be built in the vicinity. But both plans will affect the Beit Arif stream, which joins the Yehud stream near the airport. Construction near waterways reduces the water’s ability to drain naturally by seeping into the ground and increases flooding. The Environmental Protection Ministry has therefore urged that most streams be preserved as ‘green lungs’ during planning processes. Moreover, various planning agencies have promoted the idea of creating a metropolitan park along the Beit Arif stream that would hook up with other nearby parks to reach the outskirts of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. But this idea has never been approved, and planning officials say it will become impossible if the two airport plans come to fruition. Nearby towns, including Yehud and Or Yehuda, say they are worried that both plans will increase the risk of winter floods. They also object to the fact that the plans would undermine the park project, since the territory allotted to the road is part of the territory they envisioned for the park. #1130.18